A second chance at life
by 420-Bl4z3-1t
Summary: A tiger enters the Valley of Peace, searching for some place to eat and sleep. He ends up meeting the Furious Five by a total coincidence. His life of wandering is now over, and something new begins... (T just in case I go berserk.)
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

Today was the first day of March. The weather was becoming to heat up, even though it was still cold enough at night. Today was a sunny day, one of the first beautiful days of the year. People went out of their homes; children could play around without freezing.

However, today was different than usual, not in an easily noticeable way but still: because today, someone new was making his way to this place. He was a tiger, and he carried a lot of things with him, which appeared to be music instruments; it seemed very heavy, but the tiger didn't seem to mind, as he probably had gotten used to it anyway.

Now, to any stranger, the place he had gotten to on this day would seem extraordinary, as the landscape was very special, and very beautiful indeed. However, the tiger did not pay attention to this; he needed to find a place to stay. So he went to a random hotel/bar, where he proposed a deal to the administrator of the place. He proposed to perform tonight in exchange of a meal and a night here. The tiger was confident about this, because it had worked over the years; everywhere he went, he always managed to make this deal. But today, the administrator toughened the deal, saying that he would offer a meal and a place to stay _only_ if the tiger's performance was extremely convincing and that everything went well...

Knowing that he would probably not get another chance, the tiger accepted this challenge, and prepared his instruments, selected the songs he would play and things. He tried to relax and to convince himself that everything was going to go well. Finally, the evening came, and he had to go in the bar, in front of everyone who was there tonight; and, there really were a whole lot of people in there. The tiger had not expected so many people to come by, but he had no choice now. _There's no turning back_, he thought.

So he went in, prepared his instruments, readied himself.

And he thought, _here we go._


	2. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

And here I am, ready to perform in front of all these people. I hope they won't make it more difficult than it already is, and that I will not be disturbed too much... I know all the songs by heart, what could go wrong? Alright, here I go. I had decided to start with a song on which I needed to play the biggest instrument out of all the ones I had. It was a big one with a lot of keys, each one corresponding to a different sound. It had been offered to me when I was younger. It was very heavy, but somehow I managed to carry it throughout my life of travel.

I started by a simple song which basically told a beautiful story about people in general. I had decided to start by this one because the way it was written made me talk to the public, thus catching their attention. While I sang and played it, I proceeded to make eye contact with various people among the public; another useful trick to try and get people concentrated on my performance. There was first this group of ducks and pigs, who I looked at when I started, and on my left there was what seemed to be a group of friends, consisting of five people, who were a monkey, an avian, a snake, a... mantis, probably, and one of my kind: a tiger. I'd say a tigress, but I can't be precise with that distance. All these people seemed to appreciate their time here.

I went back to my song, looking at the public every once in a while. When I ended it, I realized I had managed to lay silence in the public, which isn't always that easy. After a short moment, people started applauding! I guess this evening was starting off quite well... I continued singing, playing other instruments as I switched songs. To say the truth, it was going well! I noticed a few people leaving, and others entering, but I didn't care about the number of people anymore; all I cared about was to give these people a quality show, and if I manage to do so, maybe I will be granted the right to sleep in this place.

I had reached the end of my programme, and people seemed to be happy with it. I packed my instruments and went to search for this place's administrator. I couldn't find him inside the building so I got out and started searching for this guy, but unfortunately, I found a few people who, apparently, were not here to thank me or anything. This ox and the two wolves were most likely drunk and were about to fight with me. The ox spoke:

"This night was pretty bad, don't you agree?" he said speaking to the two wolves. As they nodded, he continued; "Well it's because of this guy and his damn music!"

Then turning to me he said: "You're going down." And he cracked his knuckles. Looks like I'm going to have to defend myself; luckily I have been taught well in my childhood... A sneaky smile made its way on my face. I looked at him in the eye and said: "Are you sure about that?" and on these words I jumped high in the air. I fell down onto the ox and, and thanks to the surprise my jump caused, he was not prepared to such an attack. I started punching his face, dodged his attempts at catching me, thus easily bringing him down. I was ready to take on the two wolves, but apparently someone already took care of them. I looked at the people who had helped me out. It turns out that they were the five people I spoke about a little before. I guess they are good fighters, as they beat the wolves without getting any scratch.

"I guess I should thank you for helping me to deal with those guys." I said. The snake was the first to answer: "Considering the way you fought, perhaps you could have defended yourself easily. But dealing with these people and protecting the ones under attack is quite like our job."

Now this was interesting; I asked: "So you act like the protectors of this place?" They all nodded. The mantis added: "And now, thanks to this little fight, these three men are going to spend their night in jail. Come on we need to get them there!" I watched as the tigress, the mantis and the monkey each took one of them. What the mantis just said reminded me that, as I had not found the administrator of the hotel, I had nowhere to sleep and nothing to eat. The snake got me out of my thoughts as she spoke to me again, in a gentle voice: "Anyway, your performance tonight was very good and we appreciated it. Oh, and by the way my name is Viper. These people here are Crane, Tigress, Monkey and Mantis."

I smiled a little: "Thank you for your compliment, but unfortunately my performance did not earn me the right to eat and sleep tonight. I pretty much have nowhere to go tonight, and I'm afraid it's going to be cold out there soon." Crane looked at me with disbelief: "You mean... you don't have a place where to sleep tonight?" I shook my head. He then turned to his friends: "Do you think we should bring him to the Jade Palace? He has no place to stay." Monkey then said: "Well, I guess Master Shifu would be okay with it just for one night." The others looked like they agreed, except for Tigress who said nothing and her face stayed emotionless. I was wondering who this Master Shifu was, but he probably is these guys' teacher, or something like that. I picked up all my stuff and we headed to this city's prison.

On the way there, Viper asked me: "Isn't this heavy?" talking about all my instruments. I looked back at her and answered: "It certainly is, but I got used to it over the years. I've been travelling from town to town for quite a long time now." She seemed to understand, and then: "I just figured out I forgot to ask for your name." Definitely not a question I wanted to answer, but I gathered my courage and said: "I... don't really have a name. I have been anonymous for years now, so my name doesn't mean much to me anyway." This was only part of the reason. I wasn't ready to tell anyone about the real problem, as it was linked to my... past. Past is something that can be painful and I preferred not to think about it too much. She seemed a bit disappointed, as if she knew that I was not telling the entire truth: "Oh well, it's okay. May we just call you Tiger then?" I nodded: "Fine with me." She smiled a little: "Then that's fine with us."

We handed the three guys to the chief of the local guards, and then headed towards what they called the 'Jade Palace'. I was surprised to see how many steps there were to go to this place. Crane came by and informed me that there were a thousand steps to the Jade Palace. I told him that I would make it to the top anyway, even though it was not my habit. The others seemed satisfied with that answer. We started moving faster, and oddly enough I found myself following their pace, even when they started running. I was impressed myself, as I did not believe I could follow them while carrying all my stuff on my back; yet I did. The others did not seem to mind – for them, it was probably very easy.

Once we got to the top, I asked for some place to put my stuff. They showed me someplace, and then we headed to the kitchen. Viper started to prepare something for us to eat. It smelt great and I was wondering what it could be... After some time, a red panda entered the room. Immediately, the others bowed in front of him with their fist in their other hand. I quickly copied their movements. "Good evening." He said. If I were to take a guess, I'd say this is probably Master Shifu. "Who is this person I have never seen before on Palace grounds?" He asked. Before I could explain my presence, Crane spoke up: "Master Shifu, this is Tiger. We found him in the city as he was under attack by three people. We helped him out, but he fought honourably and took down one of his opponents. He told us that he had nowhere to live, so we wanted to ask you if he could sleep in here... at least for tonight." Master Shifu looked at me and probably asked himself about whether he should accept or not. After a few instants, he answered: "I think we should offer him hospitality for tonight." He then turned to me and continued: "Tomorrow morning, I would like you to wake up when you hear the gong. We will test your abilities and I will decide whether you can stay." I felt relieved, and gratefully said: "Thank you Master Shifu. I will try my best not to disappoint you." "Good. Now get some rest."

After we finished our meal, they led me to the barracks in which they slept, and showed me an empty room, told me I could stay there. These rooms contained the strict minimum: a bed, a little shelf, and a pillow. I took off my vest and lay on the bed, looking back at my day. Surely that was not what I had expected... Hopefully, tomorrow I might be granted the right to stay here. After all, I am growing tired of having to perform to get to eat and sleep. I opened my eyes as I realized that maybe I had a chance to change my life, potentially forever. I smiled at this thought and soon found sleep.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 is here ! I'd like to thank the one person who followed and favorited my story (Tigergirl713) as it really means a lot to me, this being my first story.  
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**The Assassin of Xion - Thank you very much ! Also, feel free to correct any mistakes I make, as I am not a native english speaker I would appreciate any advice.**

**Don't forget to review to speak about what you like/dislike, constructive criticism is always welcome. On with the story !**

_Chapter 2_

I opened my eyes and found myself in some random village. Strangely, it was daytime but the houses seemed close, and nobody was out in the streets. At this point I knew I was dreaming, but I couldn't shake off the feeling of dread I had. I slowly walked in the streets and started to recognize the place...

_No... it can't be..._

Without further reflexion, I continued my way in the street until I found a home with an opened door. Following my own curiosity I went there and entered. I immediately realized I shouldn't have, for this is my parent's house. And they were in there.

_Dead._

The sight hurt me so much even after all those years. Why did it have to come back to me? Why? I fell to the ground as this was too much to look at. My breathing was ragged...

I jolted awake, hyperventilating and trying to calm myself down. I thought I had gotten over these visions a long time ago, but I'm not so sure anymore. I guess I'll have to try harder to forget it, hoping to make my past disappear. I realized I may have to talk about it with other people, and it would be certain if I manage to stay here. Then what should I do? Should I fail voluntarily in order to avoid these conversations? I could, but I'm tired of having to go from town to town every single day. Oh, I guess I'll try to succeed.

I remembered Master Shifu saying that we had to wake up by the morning gong, and noticed that there was already a little light out. The gong will probably ring soon enough. I prepared myself, put on my vest and everything. And then I heard the sound. I went out in the corridor and said along with the five others: "Good morning, Master."

"Good morning, students." He greeted back. And then everyone moved out of the barracks. I simply followed them absent-mindedly, still thinking about my nightmare. Then I noticed something hitting my arm, and I snapped out of my thoughts. It was Viper, probably asking whether I had slept well, considering the fact that she's sort of kind. "Hey, can you hear me?"

"Sorry, I spaced out for a while there. What were you saying?" I told her.

"I was just wondering if you had had a good night." The question bothered me a little but I didn't let it appear on my face.

"It was okay, except for the fact that I woke up quite early. Are we going to have breakfast now?" She nodded. Good thing, because I was starving. This morning Crane decided to go cooking. We got dumplings for breakfast and I have to admit that it was quite good. Crane may not be the best cook I have ever seen, but he's far from terrible.

After that, we all went to the 'Training Hall'. I was still wondering what it would look like. While we were on our way, the others spoke a little (except Tigress probably, as I don't remember hearing her voice even once since I arrived) but I didn't really listen to them. There was a question in my mind, which was of course: what was waiting for me? Shifu had said he would test my abilities, but he didn't say on what type of exercise I would be assessed. I had decided I would try my best anyway.

When we entered the Hall, it was unlike anything I had ever seen. The five of them immediately got to work, each of them on a different spot. I guessed it could also be used as an obstacle course; you'd have to go through everything. There was a place with swinging pieces of wood that I'd assume one would have to dodge while walking on some... ropes that seemed rather unstable. Unstable would be a good adjective for next spot. It looked like a bowl made of jade, and if I were to guess, I'd say it would be used to practice balance. I went on studying the place until I noticed Shifu entering. Immediately the five stopped what they were doing and came next to him, in front of me. Shifu spoke up: "As you know, I said that you may stay here after I test your abilities. Well, this is your test. You have to go through the obstacles and reach the other end of the Hall. Be the fastest you can, and try to avoid falling or getting hit. Oh, and one last thing: you may or may not use the circles in the air."

I looked up and saw these circles, where Monkey had been training a few instants ago, and decided I wouldn't go there. I looked at the whole course and studied everything. I'd have to be careful, and timing would probably be important, for example to go through the swinging clubs. I closed my eyes and thought of a path that I could take...

"May I start?" I asked. Shifu nodded. That was all I needed to get going. I jumped onto the ropes and found my balance. I dodged one club, and went forward when I could. I paid attention to everything and didn't get hit, which is not bad for a first try I guess.

Next up was the strange bowl. While I was thinking about how I'd get through, I figured the easiest way was to jump in the centre of it so that it would not move too much. I managed to land in the middle and, as predicted, it didn't move much. I jumped out of it and found myself in front of a field of wooden dummies. While I saw Mantis go through it, I understood that whenever one of them was hit, it began spinning around like crazy and the whole thing was moving. I tried not to touch them, but it was too narrow; when I was halfway, I ended up slightly pushing one of them. It was enough for it to start its dance. Thankfully my reflexes were not too bad. After a few moments where I simply blocked while searching for a way to get through this spinning horror, I eventually understood how every wooden structure worked: the arms always came by at the same time. It was, in fact _predictable._ Thanks to this observation I managed to get out of this maze without being hit too often, only a few times in fact. I was quite happy that I had gone through the three first ones, but I remembered what the last one was: it was Viper's training spot. A place where flames shot out of the ground every once in a while.

There was no predicting where the flames could be next, so I decided I'd just trust my senses and reflexes. Surprisingly, it went quite well, as I didn't get burnt (even though it had been relatively close sometimes, way too close in my opinion) and I finally made it to this end of the Training Hall. It had been tiresome, but I was quite happy about my performance. For a first try it couldn't have gone better. I was probably lucky as well, but anyway.

I went back to where Master Shifu and the Five were standing. Four of them looked actually surprised, or maybe even impressed! The four being Crane, Monkey, Mantis and Viper of course. Tigress would never be surprised by my performance, or at least she'd never show it. And Shifu, he looked... well... more satisfied than surprised, actually. And he finally said: "I have studied your abilities, and... you may stay here. From now on, you will learn Kung Fu, and I will be your Master."

I replied politely: "Thank you, Master Shifu." I was really satisfied. I now had a place to stay, and I would continue studying Kung Fu. Moreover, I may end up being friends with some of them. Friends... I hadn't had friends since a long time. I guess I'll work on it.

Anyway, Mantis asked: "How did you cross it on your first try? I mean, when I arrived at the Jade Palace, I could already do it, but you're not even trained!"

I answered calmly: "You see, before I began playing music and travelling, when I was younger, I used to train in Kung Fu. Not in an academy or anything, but just because my family knew someone who could teach me at least a little. And he always said that one of the keys is to analyze your opponent's weaknesses. So that's what I just did with the obstacles: I tried to find how each of them worked, and used this knowledge to my advantage."

"Well, the least we can say is that your lessons from a long time ago turned out to be useful." Monkey said. Viper followed, smiling: "Anyway, welcome here, and we look forward to training with you."

I thanked them, and we all got back to training.


	4. Chapter 3

**Back with another chapter ! Thanks again to the people who reviewed.**

**Farseer3669 - Thanks for the advice, I'll try to avoid those words, as I realize they may not sound very well :)**

**Also, I will not update extremely regularly because I only write when I have the time to do so, which means only in the weekends.**

**On with the story !**

_Chapter 3_

After this test, Master Shifu taught me a few things, but as he saw that I already knew the basics and a little more, he soon left the Training Hall, which left me to train with the Five. Apart from Tigress who kept her silence – I don't know why and at this point I'm too afraid to ask – all of them gave me some useful advice as I was training on the same devices as them. Monkey even showed me how to use those rings hanged on the ceiling, and I never thought I would be able to get to them, but in the end I managed to hold on them and move around as I could. I promise, one day I will be able to move as fast as him on those.

Afterwards, he asked me to spar against him. I was a bit anxious because I haven't fought against someone who actually knows Kung Fu for a long time, but I think I hid my anxiety quite well (at least I hope so!). Mantis was watching our fight, and it didn't help me to relax. What if I completely fail? _Don't worry; you are just a new student while they have been here for years. Even if it doesn't go well, you have a disadvantage in terms of training, so that would be the obvious reason..._ I spoke to myself. I managed to calm myself down and focus on the fight.

Monkey rushed at me and performed a flying kick. I simply sidestepped and grabbed his ankle, which enabled me to punch a few times on his leg. However he quickly escaped my grasp and hit my chest with his other foot. I got pushed back a little, but that was not much. As he stood his ground, I ran and attempted a leg sweep; he jumped and punched my face. I felt some pain, but it was not enough to make me go away; seeing he was still in the air, I slid on the ground to go to the place where he was about to land, and thanks to this I could kick him quite hard. He went flying but still landed on his feet. The fight went on for quite a while, and surprisingly it went quite well: I got hit very often, but most of the time I could pay him back by thinking fast. However, at some point I got punched and while I was recovering, he rushed at me and made me fall. I managed to hit him while I was down, but it was not enough to send him back, and eventually I couldn't move anymore.

I stopped struggling and he understood this was the end of the fight, as he let go of me and helped me on my feet. We bowed to each other in respect. Afterwards, this was Mantis' turn to comment on what he had seen. I turned to him, and I realized that while we fought, everyone had joined and watched. Mantis spoke first: "This was certainly something to see. What do you think people?" he said, turning to the other three spectators. Crane answered: "I think it's good for someone who hasn't fought in years like Tiger."

I just said: "Thanks. Actually I haven't sparred against anyone who knew Kung Fu in the last seven or eight years, and I'm quite surprised I could do quite well."

Viper went on, smiling: "Well you're certainly not a Master like us just yet, but we could say that you're on the right way." Monkey simply added: "Yeah that's right!"

What surprised me was that Tigress actually spoke: "There certainly were errors in your fight, but overall it is okay. To acquire the level of a Master, you will need to practice more; however, as Viper said, you are on the right way."

As usual, there was no expression on her face, but commenting my performance looked like an improvement. "Thank you all for your comments. And I would gladly accept any help and advice that may help me with my training."

They went back to the Training Hall. I was about to join them but I heard: "Tiger." I turned around and saw Master Shifu. "Yes Master?"

"Master Oogway wants to see you. He is in the Hall of Warriors."

Now I was confused, because I didn't know who Master Oogway was... and I didn't know where the Hall of Warriors was either. "Uh, Master? Where is the Hall of Warriors?" He looked at me, obviously puzzled, and then remembered I was new here. He showed me the way and I went up there.

I entered the Hall of Warriors and walked calmly. On the sides there were some artefacts, and in the back of the Hall there was someone – a... tortoise? - Who managed to balance on a single staff, in front of some sort of pool. I could assume this person was Master Oogway.

Once I was close enough, I asked: "Um... Master Oogway? You wanted to see me?"

He slowly got off of the staff and turned around to face me. I could see that he was very old. He was smiling and spoke very softly: "No, I wanted to meet you, because my old friend Shifu told me there was a new student at the Jade Palace. Would you tell me your name?"

And there we go again, this problem. I tried to look confident enough and answered: "Shifu and the Five call me Tiger."

"Interesting. What about your real name?" I was completely caught off guard by this question. I did not want to speak about this at all...

"I haven't used it much for the last few years, and I would prefer not to talk about this."

"I can only assume it is because of an unpleasant past, isn't it?"

"It is indeed... I know I will probably have to tell the truth about it to everyone, but as for now I would like to keep it for myself until I know the others a little better."

"I understand... at least you know that one day you will need to tell the truth. And I trust you; I am sure that you will when you are ready."

How can he be so sure that I would be able to evoke my past one day? He doesn't know what I have been through... Or does he? This conversation definitely put me ill at ease.

"You should probably head back to the kitchen, because I can see that it is going to be night-time soon enough."

I replied: "You are right. Goodbye, Master Oogway."

I got out of the Hall of Warriors while the old Oogway went back to his meditation. This had been quite strange for me. When I walked in front of the Training Hall, I couldn't hear any sound inside, so I directly went to the kitchen. They were all here, except for Master Shifu, and tonight it looked like Viper was cooking for us. Well, not for Tigress who was eating something else. As we had dinner, people were talking but I didn't really pay attention. The talk I had with Oogway really got me thinking. Moreover, it had forced me to get back to my past, my childhood. Would I ever tell anyone about this?

As soon as we finished having dinner, I went to the little closet where I had put my instruments when I arrived. I picked one and tried to find a spot where I could play without too many disturbances around. After walking a little out of the kitchen, I found a tree that was on a cliff. The place was beautiful and peaceful, the sun was setting on the horizon; this was all I needed. I sat down and started playing. I did not sing though, because I only sing when I'm on stage or when there are people near; when I'm alone, I just prefer to play. One may ask why I do this, or what the difference is. In my opinion, when I have a public, I need to sing to convey my message; conversely, when I am alone, the music itself is enough. It really helped me relax. I closed my eyes and continued playing for a while. When I reopened my eyes, I realized that the sun had now completely disappeared behind the mountains. I turned around and realized that I was not alone.

Viper had been listening. I asked: "How long have you been here for?" She replied: "I don't know, just for a while. Actually, after I had finished eating, I decided to go for a walk and saw you up there, so I just came here. I didn't want to disturb, so I didn't make a noise."

I smiled thankfully and got up, ready to go back to the barracks to get some sleep. While on our way, Viper spoke up again: "You know, I always believed music was just entertaining. But when we saw you play, there was something more. You managed to convey emotions, and I had never seen that before."

I answered: "Thank you, but you know it's been my daily life for years. No wonder I became good at it, just like you guys became good at Kung Fu."

"Yes, I understand, but there was still something special about your performance. I mean, you managed to affect our feelings, even Tigress'. I had not seen her so emotional in years."

I said, smiling: "Really? I guess that's an achievement then."

We exchanged a quick 'Good night' and soon enough we went to sleep. I was satisfied by this day, with the test and all the training, but still a little confused because of the talk with Master Oogway. Anyway, I think I'll find out what to do with my past someday. As to now, I'd better get some rest.


	5. Chapter 4

**Probably the only update this week. Thanks to the people who followed and/or favorited.**

**Farseer3669 - If I need your help with a particular chapter, I'll let you know :)**

**On with the story !**

_Chapter 4_

I woke up at the right time, so that I could be ready when the gong rings. Just as yesterday, when it rang, we all got out of our rooms to greet Master Shifu. He greeted us back and we went to the kitchen for breakfast. It was pretty much the same as yesterday, and I really didn't want to speak. At this hour, I'm not used to communicate... So I ate in silence, and we soon got to training, just as every day. This was the morning routine. But Master Shifu broke into the Training Hall with a worried look on his face. He said: "I just received a letter from the chief of a nearby village. They have been attacked by a rather large group of bandits, and according to them another village had already been raided. If they keep heading south as they did before, they may reach the Valley of Peace today."

We listened to the news. All of us knew what he was going to say next. "It is your job to defend the Valley, and I believe you will be able to beat these bandits by yourselves. But be careful: they are many, and they are well organized compared to others."

Okay, so these are not your usual bandits. And we get to go down into the Valley. First time I get to defend it along with the Five. I sincerely hope it will go well. We swiftly ran down the stairs, told the citizens to stay in their homes and started looking out for bandits. Soon enough they arrived, and Shifu had said the truth: damn, they were far over a hundred. And they were moving with ranks formed. I noticed that there were archers in the backline and decided to tell the others: "Guys, it looks like they got archers behind the front line."

Tigress saw them as well: "You're right. If we have to fight, we will split into two groups: Mantis, Crane and Monkey, you will take out the archers while the rest of us take care of the other bandits."

She had said 'if we have to fight', but I was pretty sure they'd not give up with such a huge advantage in numbers. As each of their steps made them come closer to us, I made myself ready for battle.

The wolf that looked like the bandits' chief looked at us and said: "Eh, looks like we got ourselves a few opponents there."

Tigress talked back: "This is your last chance to give up. If you don't..." She got into a fighting stance. "...Then we'll have to fight."

The guy answered: "Well that's funny. Do you really think I'm not going to stop when we are so many against you six?" He smiled evilly and then shouted: "Destroy them!" And on these words, they started running at us with loud cries. As planned, three of us immediately got to the archers while we stood our ground and started fighting the other bandits.

I soon realized that their use of weapons was not extremely advanced, and that actually got me thinking: if I was fighting one of them, when he tries to hit me with his sword, could I actually be faster than him and strike in the opening he left? I'd definitely have to try it out.

Just as I thought about this, one bandit came at me alone. While he raised his sword to hit me, I simply struck him with a hard punch in the chest. That knocked him out cold and sent him flying into the others who were following him. Maybe this technique was not okay when fighting lots of them at the same time, but when fighting only one man, it was quite effective.

Soon, a group of five or six came towards me. The first one had a sword too, but I could not afford to use the technique because the others would be here soon enough. When he tried to hit my head with a slash, I ducked and grabbed his arm. I twisted it, which made him let go of his weapon in the process; I called out for Viper and threw him at her so that she would finish the business. I turned back to my other opponents, just in time to dodge his mace. As the others were surrounding me, I got down to the ground and performed a leg sweep that luckily made everyone lose their balance. While they were falling, I managed to kick two of them away; hopefully they would not come back.

The others had recovered but I easily dodged their attacks – although it was quite close – and punched both of their faces. I did not have time to rest as another group came by. The fight went on for some time and I managed to bring many of them down. At one time I finally got a chance to look around to see how the fight was going. Viper seemed to be doing well, and the three guys had succeeded in taking most of the archers out. I saw Tigress fighting the bandits' chief, who was putting on quite a fight. Tigress still had the upper hand. But something was not right. One archer was still standing, and he was aiming for Tigress; she couldn't have seen him because she was busy fighting the other guy. Thus I was the only one who could prevent the arrow from hitting her, and possibly killing her. The archer was too far away; I couldn't get to him on time. I didn't know what to do, and the arrow left the archer's bow. My instincts came kicking in.

I jumped in front of the arrow's initial target. I grunted in pain as I took it in the shoulder. It was painful as hell, but not enough for me to stay down. I got up and walked towards the archer as fast as I could, grabbing his arm as he was reaching for another arrow and punching him in the face, easily bringing him down. I looked back and saw Tigress had defeated the leader. I looked at my shoulder, the one that had the arrow in it. I had lost quite a lot of blood, but I would be okay. I proceeded to take this arrow out of my body. It was not difficult but it hurt so much! I rejoined the fight but it was already nearing its end, and soon enough we had dealt with all of them.

We regrouped and of course, they noticed my bloody shoulder. The first one to ask about it was Crane: "Hey Tiger, what happened to your shoulder?"

I answered, still slightly in pain: "I got shot. In fact, while Tigress was fighting with the bandits' leader, a sneaky archer was aiming at her. I had no choice but to get in front of them."

They stared at me with wide eyes. So I continued: "Heh, that's still better than the possibility of one of us getting killed."

At this moment, Tigress spoke up: "Truth is, I had not seen this archer, so... thank you."

I smiled: "It's only what I had to do."

Viper then said: "We need to get this wound healed. So while we get these guys to jail, you go up to the Palace and search for Shifu. He will help you with that." I silently agreed and started walking towards the stairs that led to the Jade Palace. I had a bit of trouble standing though, probably because I had lost some blood, and was still losing some. Seeing this, Tigress came with me and helped me up the stairs. "I could have made it to the top alone." I said.

"Come on, we saw you lost some blood because of this, and you may need help just in case. And that's the least I can do for saving my life." She said.

As soon as we got to the top of the stairs, we went to the barracks so that I could rest in my room. Tigress said she'd get Master Shifu to come and help me with my wound. Literally a few instants later, Shifu was here with enough to take care of my wound. When he entered he said: "I heard about what you did during the fight. It is very brave of you."

I replied: "I could not just stand there and nothing. Moreover, I'd rather take this arrow in my shoulder than let it possibly kill one of us."

Silence then fell in the room, as Shifu disinfected my wound (yes, that really hurt) and placed bandages on it. He told me that I had to rest for at least the day, and maybe more. Seeing that it was the afternoon now, I decided I'd better try to sleep a little and get up a little later. With that said, I got to sleep; I thought I had fought quite well back there and was satisfied by this, and I was happy that I had done enough the Valley and the people I could possibly call my friends. One of these days I should get to know them more, and maybe I'll be able to evoke my own past afterwards. It wouldn't be done just yet though; these memories are at least as painful as the arrow I took, if not more...


	6. Chapter 5

**New chapter finally up! 3 people reviewed. **

**Riff Raff (or whoever it is) - Sorry that the story is not to your liking. If you want to discuss the matter then PM me (although I doubt you're reading this)**

**Tigergirl713 - Thanks, I hope this one won't disappoint you!**

**Farseer3669 - I'll take the advice.**

_Chapter 5_

I was staring with disbelief at my parents' bodies, in my own home. I couldn't even cry, as I was far too shocked. I couldn't think straight, and had no reaction as I saw two dark figures coming towards me. I felt myself being carried away but it was impossible to do anything. I was still looking towards the bodies of my family...

And once again, I woke up in a rush, trying to breathe normally and to calm down. I hoped I had not woken up anyone. Then I remembered I was still recovering, so I forced myself back to the bed. I wanted to get back to training as soon as possible, but for this I needed to rest first. There was already a little light coming from outside. What should I do when the gong rings? Should I stay here to rest more, or should I get up anyway? After thinking for a few moments, I decided that would get up because I didn't want to spend my day alone. So I sat on the side of the bed, put on my vest – by the way, useless detail, it's coloured in deep blue – and waited for the gong's sound to come.

As I heard it, I managed to get up and got out in the corridor slightly after the others. Fortunately my legs were not the part hit by the arrow, which would have been much more bothering. We greeted Shifu just as every morning. The guys were actually quite surprised that I was up. I stared at them with a look that said 'Oh come on, it's not that bad!' In fact, even though it still hurt a little, Shifu had done good work with my wound; it could have been much worse. We all got to the kitchen to get breakfast before going to training. Shifu entered the room swiftly and said, looking at me, "Judging on your wound, I think it would be wise not to train for... let's say... at least today."

He wore this serious look on his face, the one he always has. I nodded and replied, "I agree with you Master. Although I think one day without training will probably be enough to recover enough." Soon after, he left the place. Suddenly I noticed that nobody had talked yet. I didn't expect to say much anyway, because I don't really know them that well after just a few days here, but I guess yesterday's battle probably gained me a bit of respect. While eating, they started talking a little; very few about our last battle actually. I can only assume it's because they have known lots of others throughout the years. I stayed silent for most of the time except when Viper asked me how I was after getting shot yesterday. I answered simply by saying it was actually a lot better, and that Shifu sure knew how to treat these wounds. She smiled and said that I had done things right back in the fight. The others seemed to agree.

After a short while, they headed to the Training Hall. I went there too, even though I would not train today. I had nothing else to do anyway. They started just as every day, and Shifu, who had come in to teach a few things, soon left the Hall. Surprisingly, I saw Crane stop training and come towards the place where I was sitting. He sat beside me and said, "We figured we wouldn't let you alone after what you did for us yesterday."

I smiled a little and said, "Any of you would have done it too if you had been in my place, as I already said." Crane continued, "Maybe we would have, but you've been here for only three days and you already showed us that we can trust you. Something tells me – and I'd say tells _us _– that in the near future you will be a good ally and friend."

Now I didn't expect that, but maybe I should have. After all, I saved the life of one of them, and it's true that I've not been in the Jade Palace for long. Anyway, it was good to know that I gained their trust. I told him, "Thank you. You know, it's good to know that people see me as a friend. I mean, I haven't really spoken with anyone in many years."

After a few moments of silence, I said: "So, if I'm going to stay I guess I should get to know you guys a little better. Mind talking about your past a little?" He looked at me and said, "Ok. It starts like this..." He told me about his first attempt at entering a kung fu academy. As he was judged too skinny for training, he had no choice but to do something else, so he became the janitor of the place. One day, the academy organized a contest to see who could integrate the school, so he was told to make the place good-looking, to prepare it for the event. As he was doing his job, a young girl Mei Ling named was watching and was impressed by his precision and movements. She told him that he should try the contest.

On the next day, he was ridiculed again when he tried to enter the contest. But he accidentally stepped into the obstacle course; and when he could turn around and get out, he didn't. He continued to go through the obstacles, and easily ended it. He had finally gained the others' respect. A few weeks later, he was approached by Master Oogway and joined the Jade Palace. As he finished his story, he didn't ask for my own, and I was grateful for that. He soon got back to training, and Mantis took his place. Same thing over again, I learnt about him and how he joined the place. And again, he did not ask for my story. They probably all thought I was only some artist for all my life.

They couldn't possibly know there was another side to the story.

Throughout the day, each of them took a pause not to leave me alone. Except Tigress, who didn't stop training. She probably had an interesting story as well, because I know for a fact that people don't get so silent just like that. But if she does not want to speak about it, that's okay. I mean, who am I to judge? I didn't even tell them about myself! I mentally slapped myself for not doing so.

At the end of the day, we left the Training Hall and got to the kitchen. It was quite silent tonight, so I didn't take part in any of the few conversations. I didn't feel like going to sleep right now, there was still a bit of light outside. Oh, and does it ever rain in here? Every single day is a sunny day since I'm here. So I got out and went to the same tree as two days ago. I didn't plan on playing music tonight, I just wanted to admire the sunset and find a peaceful place. I sat and looked toward the horizon. This was so relaxing... I closed my eyes for a while. This was not meditation, though I was not thinking about anything. I was concentrated on my sensations. The wind, the smells, the light noise coming from the valley... Everything. And someone was coming behind me. I couldn't tell who it was, but it couldn't be Viper, Mantis or Crane. The sound of the steps was different from theirs. It could be Shifu, Tigress, Monkey or Oogway. Soon the presence was next to me. I could hear the breath. I heard the person sitting down. Whoever it was, was being very silent, probably looking for as much peace as me. I finally decided to open my eyes. Surprisingly, it was Tigress; I surely didn't expect that...

I finally spoke, "Good evening... What brings you here?" She answered, "I thought I had to apologize for being quite cold these last days." Was she serious? "You don't need to. You surely had some reason for it. Moreover, it's normal not to be so open to strangers. There are people we just can't trust at first."

Still looking at the horizon, she said "You're right, I do have a reason." I smiled a little. "Care to explain?"

"If you ask so. I'll have to tell a longer story though; it's linked to my past." Looks like I'll have all of their stories in the end... "Go ahead."

"So, you see Shifu? He's my father; my adoptive father. As a child I lived in the Bao Gu orphanage. The other children feared me because of my strength. I was cast aside. But then Shifu saw my potential and taught me how to control this strength. I learned well enough and he took me to the Jade Palace. I've been training every single day since then; but Shifu was never really happy, never really proud... So I figured out there was something that would make him proud..."

She paused. "I trained even harder... in order to show that I'm worthy enough to be chosen, become the Dragon Warrior and get the Dragon Scroll." I asked, "Excuse me, but what is the Dragon Scroll?"

"It is said to be the secret of limitless power. And that is the reason why I was quite cold to you. As I saw you had some skills, I thought you would be another contestant to this title." Oh, now I understood. "I see... So I have to say that it was never my goal."

She looked at me and said softly, "Yes, I understand it now, and I have to thank you for what you've done for me."

After this we just sat there for a moment. We were not speaking but Tigress started, "Now, you know about us all... But we don't know much about you. Would you talk about yourself now?" The question I absolutely didn't want to hear. A pained expression formed involuntarily on my face. Seeing this, she added "If you don't want to, then don't tell."

"No, it's alright. I knew I'd have to talk about it someday. And it's better now than never, isn't it?" I took a deep breath and started, "I was born in the Shanxi province, which is quite a long way from here. Everything was alright there: my parents were caring, I had friends... Everything a child would wish to have."

"As I grew up, I learnt to play music and we soon discovered it was a talent for me. Different people taught me how to play many instruments, the ones I carry with me. Apart from this, my parents also knew an old kung fu master who was no longer teaching in an academy. He accepted to teach me for a few years. Although it was not intensive training, I guess it was okay."

"One day, when I was a teenager, I went to play in another village for the afternoon. As almost always, it had been a success. I was happy!" I paused. And my voice started shaking a little. "But when I came back home... things were not the same. There was no one outside, and for some reason it scared me. I got to my family's home, pushed the door and entered. I shouldn't have."

"My parents... were lying on the ground. Their throats had been slit open. The house looked like it had been raided. I couldn't stop watching as I got carried away by three people. They were responsible for it, I knew it, but I couldn't do anything. They took me to a hidden place. There, they gave me this mark so that they would find me if I escaped." I showed her my right paw, where a circle and a cross were like engraved in my flesh.

"They kept me behind bars, just as if I were in jail. I don't know why they didn't kill me like they did with the people from my village. They came back to this hiding place every night, probably after their raids on other places... But one night they didn't come back. I waited for a few more hours, but they had probably been caught. They'd never say where they had stashed the things they stole, which means I was on my own. I started to hit the metal bars. Luckily one of them wasn't as solid as the others. I managed to remove it, and I was free. But what is freedom if I have nothing to do with my life?"

"I went back home. The bodies had been removed. I everything I had left, which means, my instruments, and left. I didn't know what I was going to do. So I just wandered alone, for years... You know the rest."

Tigress looked at me and simply said, "I understand why you didn't want to talk about it. But now you have a new home, don't you think?"

I smiled at her and thanked her for listening to this long story of mine. There, I had done it. I had talked about it all. The sun had finally disappeared, so we went back to the barracks and went to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

**Hello! Back with a new chapter. Not much happening in this one, but things will soon get a little more interesting, as I will get into the first movie.**

**Farseer3669 - I had always planned some backstory, but I just wanted to wait, to keep it hidden until now, adding a little mystery about that character. And I'm pretty sure that not everything has been told yet ;)**

**Tigergirl713 - Well, here is more ^^ As I said, not much is happening here, but wait until the next ones :)**

_Chapter 6_

I don't really know if talking about this for the first time ever has done any good, but at least this night I was not disturbed by any dreams or nightmares. When I woke up, the gong had not rung yet – I think I'm getting used to this. While I prepared myself, I thought about one thing: the only thing I had never told _any_ of them.

My name. The real name. I'm not sure about what to do. Should I just keep it hidden, or should I tell them? I mean, after all I'm going to stay here for longer than I thought...

My name is Kai. But my parents always said it was short for Kaixin, which meant...

_Happy..._

How could I keep this name after what happened all these years ago? Maybe it's time to accept that things happened, but that it's the past, and now I may get to really live again. Well, that closes the debate. I'll tell them.

I finally heard the sound of the gong. We all darted out of our rooms to greet Master Shifu, and soon we found ourselves in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. This morning, people were speaking together, speaking to say nothing, but at least it wasn't completely silent. I decided it was time.

"Hey, listen to me please." They all stopped their chatter and turned their attention to me. Once I was sure everyone was listening I started, "It looks like I'm going to stay here for quite a while doesn't it?" They said nothing but some of them, such as Viper and Crane, nodded. So I continued, "Then maybe I should tell you what my name really is. Since I no longer travel, I guess I could take it back. So, just for you to now, my name's Kai. Of course I won't mind being called Tiger if you want to."

Viper said, smiling: "Okay... Kai." I smiled back and the others looked satisfied. I then stood up from my chair and said, "Come on, we should go training now!" We walked towards the Hall. On the way here, Monkey came by and asked, "How is your wound? Think you can get back to training?"

I looked at my shoulder and said, "Huh, it's alright. There's no pain and I can move my arm as easily as ever. So yeah, today I'm back."

And the day went by; training was interesting to me as I learned lots of new things. Mantis said I was a fast learner. I sparred against Crane as well. I lost again, but it didn't seem that easy for him either. Giving them just a little challenge was probably a sign that I was doing better than before.

And every day was just training, training and more training. I had developed new abilities, had more strength, more speed and more precision in my moves. It looked like it was very peaceful in the Valley these days; no attacks, no thieves, nothing. And it enabled me to train hard and reach a good level. Moreover, the Five got used to my presence, and I'm starting to really enjoy their company. It's like I've been here for years!

After three weeks of training, one evening, Shifu said to us, "You have trained enough for today. You may rest and eat. Kai, Master Oogway wants to see you." What could it be for this time? Curious about what he wanted to tell me, I immediately walked up to the Hall of Warriors. I opened the doors and walked inside. The place was as beautiful as ever, with all the artefacts on the side. In front of the pool, Master Oogway was balancing on his staff. Did he do anything besides this, I will never know. But what's for sure is that he's the wisest person I've ever met, and I'd be happy to take any advice he gives. For now, I wanted to know what had brought me here, so I said gently, "Good evening, Master Oogway. Why do you wish to speak with me?"

He replied slowly, "Good evening, my friend. Or should I say... Kai. I have seen your progress over the last weeks, not only martially and physically, but also in your friendship with the Five. You have reached a certain level." I'm wondering how he noticed this, but anyway, what's next. Oogway continued, smiling weakly, "And even though you still have a lot to learn, in my opinion you have reached the level of a master. Continue on this path, young Master Kai, and you will soon be recognized by people as a real kung fu master."

I couldn't what I had just. Me, a kung fu "master"? Really? I smiled at Oogway, but on the inside I was crying out of joy. Even though I don't have the same martial level as the Five, which is impossible to achieve in such a short period of time, Oogway judged me worthy of this title. I bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, Master Oogway. Is there anything else you want to speak about with me?"

He simply answered, "No, that is all I needed to tell you. Now you may go eat and get some rest; don't forget that you will always need to train more to improve."

"Yes, you're right... Good night Master." I said as I left the room, still smiling like a fool. When I got out of the Hall, I noticed that Master Shifu had been waiting there. He asked, "So, what did Oogway tell you exactly?"

"He told me that even though I had not reached the level of the Five, he noticed my progress and decided that I should be called a Master." Shifu looked surprised, "He what?" I sighed and said, "Yes, I know it's early for that, I thought it too. But I'll keep on training to prove to you, to the Five and to myself that I deserve this title."

Master Shifu already looked a little less shocked. After a few moments, he told me: "I believe in Oogway's words; he has never been wrong. I believe in his decision, and as he said, even though you still have a lot to learn, maybe you do deserve it. As for you... Well, you said what you had to do clearly enough: continue working hard, and you will be respected." I smiled and bowed, saying, "Don't worry, Master Shifu. I don't intend stopping now." After a pause, I said that I still needed to eat before it was too late. Shifu actually _chuckled_ and let me go to the kitchen.

When I got there, the Five had finished eating dinner already. They were probably resting in their rooms. The news could wait until tomorrow morning; I had all the time I wanted. Maybe I would not even tell them at all, I don't like talking too much about myself. They'll find out by themselves one day... I quickly prepared something to eat for myself and quietly went to my own room, walking carefully in order not to wake anyone if anyone was sleeping. Once in my room, I silently lay on the bed, still thinking about what I had been told today. _I will continue. I will become better. One day maybe, I'll be as well-known as the Five, but for now I'll just stick to training._

I remembered what Tigress had told me last night about the Dragon Scroll and all. I was now sure that it wasn't my goal; I mean, it would be great, but I'm far from having a sufficient level. And even if I were skilled enough, I would not deny it from her. In my mind everyone deserves to live a happy life, and if that was what could make her happy, I would not deny it from her. And if any of the Five really needed something, I'd help them as I can. I guess that's the kind of bond I developed with them: trust, but more than that now. I'd do anything for them, not thinking about what they'd do for me: that's the limit between friendship and business.


	8. Chapter 7

**I didn't want to leave you guys hanging on nothing, so I continued the story as soon as I could. Here's the result!**

_Chapter 7_

Yet again, no dreams this night. It had been at least two weeks since I had a nightmare or anything like that. Knowing that strange visions wouldn't come back each night was pleasant; I could go to sleep without being concerned. I remembered that yesterday evening, Oogway had said that I was now a master; that was great, but of course it didn't mean I didn't have to get up on time! As every morning, I got up and got ready, waiting for the gong. As I heard it I rushed out of my room and started, "Good mo..."

I stopped because today was no ordinary day it seems. The Five were already up and waiting for me in front of my room! I was confused there. So I tried to "communicate" hesitantly, "Uh... Hi?"

They all burst out laughing and I didn't even know why! When they stopped, they just said in unison, "Congratulations for becoming a master!"

"Well, thanks but how do you know that? Who told you?"

Monkey answered, "Shifu woke us up earlier this morning and told us the news!" Then Viper said, "Why didn't you tell us last night?"

I replied, "Maybe because once I got back to the kitchen, you guys weren't here, and I didn't want to risk waking anyone up. After all, this is only about me, isn't it?"

"That's where you're wrong." Tigress said. I didn't really expect that from her but anyway. She stepped forward and continued, "Now you're part of the team. How could this only be about you when it's so important for us too?"

That made me smile. I mean, that's not something I'm told every day, right? Of course they smiled back. So I just replied, "I guess you're right on this one..." I literally had nothing to say. How could I possibly react to this? They were showing me that I now had something I haven't had for years: people to count on. Real friends. Or a family... I wasn't going to cry, but under the same circumstances, I'm pretty sure some people could have.

Mantis suddenly ended the small silence, "So now what? Are we the Furious Six or what?"

I replied, "No, we're not. Doesn't sound well." This commentary made them laugh a little.

"Come on, today is still a training day, isn't it? We'd better grab something to eat really fast and get to the Training Hall."

"Agreed."

And that's how the day started: we all got to the Training Hall, motivated as ever. Shifu and the Five taught me lots of things, as always; I learnt moves from Tigress, as she told me that since I was a tiger too, I should know this. I paid attention and watched everything very carefully as she easily destroyed a wooden structure... in one punch with both of her paws. It seemed so easy for her! She came back to me and told me that since I had already done some strength training with them, it should not be too difficult. "Just concentrate on the amount of strength you put. If it is enough, the effects are devastating. If not, well, you may hurt your paws a little."

I wasn't sure about what she meant by 'a little', but I tried. On the first time, I couldn't get to the same result as her. And well, it did hurt when failing... But she simply crossed her arms and said, "Again." So I tried again, again and again throughout the morning. As time passed, I felt the pain of the failure reducing. I didn't say it out loud, but I knew it was probably a good sign, some kind of progress already. I took a short pause to go drink some water and rest for five minutes, while Tigress got back to training with the rest of the Five. After this short period of time, I got back in front of the wooden dummy.

I concentrated on what I was about to do; preparing my paws, I rushed forward and struck it.

And this time I destroyed it. I sent chunks of wood flying through the room. Seeing this, they came by to see what happened. I was still impressed by what I had just done; I was sure doing a lot of progress in a very short time. Tigress stepped forward, smiling. "See? It wasn't that difficult, was it?"

I smiled back and answered, "You're right, it wasn't. I just needed to repeat the move a lot of times, but now it's alright." I wouldn't admit it, but my paws still hurt a little. It was a lot less than what I had felt on the first try, but it was there. But that's not important anymore; I made it, right? As they got back to their own training, I got another dummy just to check if I really got the move right. As I performed the punch, it worked again. Good, that's one thing learnt this morning!

In the afternoon, I was told by Shifu to work on my defence reflexes. For this, he asked to train in the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors. Since the first time I went through it, I have learnt lots of new things; hopefully I will perform even better this time. I got in front of the Gauntlet, and Shifu asked me to make it spin, so I hit the arm of one of the 'Wooden Warriors'. Of course, the whole thing started spinning like crazy. I concentrated on the rotations and began to step forward.

I managed to block most of the hits, but that wasn't enough; I still got struck a few times. On the bright side, it also helped on pain tolerance... When I got to the other side, I had not been that bad, but I knew I could do better. After all, I succeeded in learning a powerful technique this morning, so I should be able to master the Gauntlet. Of course, this implied going through it a countless number of times. But I had all afternoon for this, and I also had the certitude that I would be able to cross it without getting hit (at least, one day I will...).

So that's pretty much all I did in the afternoon. I soon made some progress but it wasn't perfect, so I continued crossing it again and again, until the end of the day. In the end, the number of times I got hit had significantly reduced, although it was not zero. Yet I was happy with this improvement; I could wait until next time to get a perfect run. After all, I have all the time I want now...

We stopped training in the evening and got to the kitchen, talking together about what we'd done today. It's funny how each day is the same as the others, but still different in our minds; we never talk about the same things. We got to eat and I left early; I felt like I needed music tonight. So I picked up a few instruments and got to my regular spot, the peach tree hill. These nights were not as cold as they used to be when I first arrived to the Jade Palace. I started playing anything that crossed my mind, still keeping a form of control over it. As the sun stepped down and escaped the day, I put an end to the melody and turned around, only to face the Five, who had followed me here. No one was saying anything; everyone was just enjoying the calm evening. Unfortunately, it couldn't last longer. I calmly said, "Time to go to sleep now, guys."

On these words we all got back to the barracks and to our respective rooms. My sleep was left untroubled that night.

On the next morning, everything was just as usual, except for one thing: Mantis and Monkey mischievously decided to perform a sneak attack on Shifu. Of course, all of us went along with their plan. We got in position. Shifu was playing a little song with his wooden flute. Under other circumstances, I would have listened to it, but right now I had something else in mind. I waited for the signal. Soon enough I saw Mantis jump in. In the next second, each one of us was trying to hit Shifu. Everything went very fast, but even alone against the six of us, he managed to block each and every hit we ever tried to land. Once we stopped the attack, Shifu said, "Good job, students... if you were trying to disappoint me!"

Of course. We had not managed to hit him even a single time. He started to correct our mistakes, until Zeng came by and told him that Master Oogway wanted to see him. Master Shifu immediately stopped what he was doing and walked up to the Hall of Warriors.

"I wonder what this could be for?" I said. Crane replied, "I don't know, but it must be something important, or else Oogway would not call for Shifu at this time of the day."

We nodded. What would this all be about? I guess we shall just wait and see...


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter posted. Is anyone still reading this? If yes, feel free to review in order to tell me what is good and what is wrong, what could be improved. Thanks!**

_Chapter 8_

Soon after Shifu left, we figured that his talk with Oogway may take a while, to say the least. So, our normal reaction was to walk up to the Training Hall and keep our routine. I decided to work a little on the move I was taught yesterday. Even though I had not achieved Tigress's efficiency, it was quite a good start in my opinion. I concentrated and sent the dummies flying one after the other. Again, I felt the pain in my paws diminish even more, as I started to get used to the impact. Afterwards I got to the fire field, wanting to improve my precision in movement and what could be called 'prediction'.

Viper was already there, so I asked if I could borrow the device for a short while. Of course, my request was accepted because of her kind personality. I got on the field and started dodging the fire. I was helped by Viper who kept shouting "Right! Front! Left! Right! Back! Left!" I followed the instructions and never got burnt. As I kept dodging everything, I soon understood how she was able to predict where the fire was going to rise. You could tell judging on the heat variations of the ground. In the end, she stopped telling me where to go to see if I was able to dodge by myself. I focused on the feelings and successfully predicted the places where the flares were going to take place. I jumped left and right, ran everywhere, did everything I could in order not to get roasted. As I began to feel tired, I swiftly jumped off the training place.

I found a place where I could sit to take back my breath. Viper slithered up to me and said, "I see that you understood how to dodge this." I smiled and said, interrupting by my own heavy breathing, "Yeah, I could feel it. It's just a matter of focus and a bit of intuition too. There's probably room for improvement though; it was quite close sometimes." Viper chuckled and told me, "You judge your own performance just as Shifu would: you never really congratulate yourself, you simply keep telling yourself that you can still do better."

I answered, "I know this. But that's a good way to continue improving, isn't it?"

"If you say so..."

While I was recovering, I remembered the first day I had went through all the obstacles. Of course, I also remembered each and every day that passed by since this first day. The first evening, the first duel against Monkey, the first real battle... The first time I ever spoke about my own past... And all the days on which I trained and fought with these amazing people. There was one thing I had left to do though: spar against Tigress.

I know, I'm crazy, but I just got to find out what I'm worth against another tiger. Moreover, there was not much that could happen to me in there. When fighting against one another, we are told – and in my opinion, it's just normal – not to try and hurt our opponent too much. We don't want bad things to happen, so we have to control ourselves. So I decided I'd just go and ask.

I got up and went by the Swinging Clubs, where Tigress was training, as always. I never asked why, but each of the Five seemed to have their favourite spot. As she saw me coming there, Tigress stopped what she was doing and got off of the device. She didn't even look tired when she asked, "Kai? What do you want?" I answered, "Sorry to interrupt your training, but I was hoping I could spar against you, as we never did since I came here."

She looked thoughtful for a short while, but soon answered, "Okay. I guess it's as good training as anything else anyway." "Thank you."

We walked outside the Training Hall and got in position. Today, no one was going to watch the duel. Was that a good or a bad thing? I couldn't tell. Anyway, I was now standing a few meters away from her. We were both evaluating the possible scenarios. I hoped she would get on the offensive first, because if I was the one who started attacking, I would most likely get defeated extremely fast; she could exploit the openings I might leave. And as I hoped, she ran up to me and delivered fast blows, which I managed to counter. I tried to counter-attack, using the space she left while trying to hit me, but obviously Tigress had predicted my move as she grabbed my arm and twisted it. I moved as fast as I could in some sort of rotation, in order to get my arm free again. It actually worked, and I 'landed' on her right.

I tried to make her lose her balance with a leg sweep, but she jumped and tried to kick me in the abdomen, but that was what I had expected: I caught her leg and threw her to the other side of the arena. She landed on her feet and rushed back to me. What followed was another series of hits and blocks, and we never got to truly hit each other. But as the fight continued, I noticed something change in Tigress's attitude. She was no longer the calm, serious tiger she was at the start of the fight. In her eyes, there was now a form of rage and anger. Was she frustrated that she couldn't land a hit on me? As the duel continued, the frequency of her hits increased progressively, until I was no longer capable to counter-attack and could barely block each blow.

And the time came when I got hit. And of course that was powerful as hell. Her punch sent me a few metres back, and by the time I had regained my balance, I got struck by the technique she had taught me yesterday. This sent me flying through the arena. I stopped as I hit the wall behind me. My eyes were shut and I couldn't hear anything apart from my own breath. It felt like the world was spinning, but I couldn't see what was going on. I lost consciousness.

I opened my eyes slowly. I found myself in my own room. It was night-time, obviously. My whole body hurt, but the worst was still the head. I probably couldn't really move. As I looked around a little (without turning my head), I realized that I was not alone in there. Tigress was sitting in the corner, with her eyes open. I moved my paw a little to get her attention, and that didn't fail. She got up and approached me slowly. I already knew what had happened to her during the fight; she most likely let her anger and frustration lead her actions. I didn't really know if I could blame her for that... I mean, she's the one who knocked me out, but losing concentration and control can happen to anyone.

Tigress established eye contact: all I could see was regret. She said, "I'm sorry. I lost control over myself."

I answered, "You know, things happen. We can't control everything, and if things always go as you wish, then life is just boring."

She sighed, "Maybe you're right, Kai. But I almost killed you there." Her expression darkened even more. "...Maybe the kids in the orphanage were right..."

"Maybe I really am a _monster_..."

Of course, she had not had a happy childhood, but I didn't like it when people thought so badly of themselves, especially people I know. I replied, "Hey, look at me. We look alike. I probably have the same strength potential as you do. We both had great problems when we were kids. But if I'm not a monster, why would you be one? I know you're going to say that you can't control your actions sometimes. But it doesn't make you a monster by any means."

She didn't answer, so I ended the talk, "Now you'd better go back to sleep. You have a goal to achieve, remember?"

She didn't smile, but that was not too far from it. She answered, "Yes, this is true. I'll let you get back to sleep now. Oh, by the way, Oogway told Master Shifu that the Dragon Warrior will be chosen in two days." I answered, "Oh well, I guess that's good news... Good night."

"Good night."

Tigress stepped out of my room, closed the door, and soon after that I found sleep again.


	10. Well

Well... I'm sorry I'm not as active as before. Even though it's holidays for me right now, I can't get myself to write anything. Maybe I just need time. I also got lots of things to do in order to prepare my next school year (yes, work during holidays, gg).

Now don't get me wrong, this clearly isn't an excuse for such inactivity. I had an exam at the end of this schoolyear (which I passed) and I still managed to take time to write. Maybe I need more ideas, more motivation. Hopefully I will soon get these, and hopefully a new chapter will be released soon. Hopefully.


	11. Chapter 9

**Finally got the courage to do it. Not extremely long, but I'm leaving tomorrow; won't be able to write for a couple of weeks, but I think I have a pretty clear ide of what to do next, now that I've reached the principal plot. **

**Big thanks to all of you reviewed, favorited and/or followed, it means a lot to me! c:**

_Chapter 9_

When I woke up the sun was already up, which means I stayed asleep longer than usual. I don't think anyone will criticize me for this though, because they all know what happened yesterday. I managed to sit on the side of the bed, and afterwards I tried to rise from it. I could stand, but I needed the wall's help. I didn't feel good, and I didn't look good either, but anyway. II walked out in the corridor, only to find that all of the Five were gone already. But of course, it's normal, as I remembered that tomorrow the Dragon Warrior would be chosen. They needed to be prepared.

I suddenly realized that I was hungry. Not that much, but I was. So, just as any morning, I went to the kitchen. I was surprised to see that things were _normal_, I mean, I've never been alone for breakfast but I wasn't feeling out of place. It means that I'm starting to feel at home at the Jade Palace. I slowly ate whatever I could find – that is to say, a bowl of rice and a few other things.

After breakfast, I felt that maybe I could walk to the Training Hall; anyway, I didn't want to stay alone. I won't do anything today, but for me it's better not to spend a day alone, because I hated complete inactivity. In the Hall, at least I would have techniques to observe, people to talk to. On my way to the Hall, I had a few difficulties to keep on walking, but I felt that it was beginning to get better: if I'm lucky, I will have fully recovered tomorrow. Anyway, I managed to reach the Hall. I entered without a noise, not wanting to disturb them.

I approached the obstacles slowly, and I sat on the side. They were there, practising at their usual spot. Concentrated on what they were doing, each of them was moving, dodging, hitting, in an expert way. After a while, they stopped for a pause. That's when they noticed my presence. I smiled, but with a gesture of my hand, I told them not to stop for me. They understood and quickly got back to training.

Soon enough, I decided to do something else. Of course, today my possibilities were quite limited: I certainly couldn't go to the city or something like that. But I could get back to my old hobby. I got up slowly and got out of the hall. Walking was painful; luckily I did not have to go a very long way to find my instruments. I decided that I would play anything that crossed my mind this afternoon. Now, in normal times, I would have walked to the Tree, but today would be an exception; I opted for my own room instead. I spent a long time there, experimenting new things, something new compared to the traditional pentatonic scale. It was not easy getting away from it – most of my instruments were only prepared to play specific sounds, which is what made it difficult. In the end I managed to find an instrument that could play something different from this scale, so I kept on playing it until I found other combinations, new things.

I lost myself in the experiment, and I didn't see that the sun was soon going to disappear. I didn't realize it was late until Monkey got knocked on my room's door.

I said, "Come in!"

He entered and answered, "Well, you'd better come out, because otherwise we're going to have dinner without you. Need help to get up?"

"I would appreciate it."

He helped me up and we went to the kitchen. Effectively, everyone was here already. Long story short, we had dinner, with the small talk it involves. Nothing fairly interesting happened, really. They simply told me they were ready for tomorrow. I replied that of course I would not demonstrate tomorrow due to my condition, but also (I kept this to myself) because I didn't want people to know me. These guys are really famous in here, and I don't want to be as much as they are.

After dinner, everyone went to sleep. Tomorrow was a big day for them, and I understood that they wanted to rest. I respected that. Nothing disturbed our sleep this night.

As a proof that I was already getting better, I woke up in time the next morning. Anyway, the ceremony does not take place too early, but it's just that the Five need time to prepare. As we went to the kitchen for breakfast, I noticed that I could walk much more easily than yesterday. I was happy about it, because it meant that I would be able to attend the ceremony today.

After breakfast we went to the arena. There, people started to arrive and prepare for the ceremony – musicians, servants... The Five started to bring the equipment with which they'd be demonstrating. I wanted to help them, but they told me that they'd be just fine without me. That didn't keep me from feeling like I wasn't doing what I was supposed to. The wait got me thinking about who would be chosen. Of course, I would really like Tigress to be the Dragon Warrior, because I think she deserves it, and if it's the only way to make Shifu proud of her... But of course it could be any of them. Moreover, as far as we know, it could be anyone! After all, Oogway never said he would choose from the Five; he only said that he would choose someone to be the Dragon Warrior.

Time passed, and soon everything was set. They were ready, the servants were ready, the musicians were ready, Shifu and Oogway were ready... It was nearly eleven o'clock; the doors of the arena opened and people started coming in. Seeing that I was already sitting and waiting for the ceremony, some villagers gave me a few odd looks, but I didn't care much. No one could know me and that was exactly what I wanted.

Then, it started. The doors closed. Their arrival was announced; we saw them coming in the arena very quickly, seemingly flying (which was true for Crane) and demonstrating their physical and technical abilities. In the end, they were all lined up, taking different poses. It was a great and promising start, really; surely it made quite a show for the other spectators. Then they started to perform individually, with the devices they brought before the ceremony started. What they did probably looked extremely complex to anyone, but I knew better. I could see that it was easy for them, and that they were only doing it to amaze people. At this moment I understood that the choosing of the Dragon Warrior was never really about their performances, but about Master Oogway's decision.

Therefore, anyone could end up getting the title. Anyone.

When it was Tigress's turn to show what she was capable of doing, she was interrupted by Master Oogway, who said: "I sense the Dragon Warrior is among us."

Immediately, Shifu silently ordered the Five to get in line in front of Oogway, and then announced that Master Oogway would choose the Dragon Warrior now. To make the moment all the more memorable, musicians started playing as Oogway walked down the stairs with his eyes almost closed, as if he were trying to sense who the Warrior was. Now that he was down the stairs, he went in front of Tigress, and I thought maybe that was it. But then we heard it.

We heard someone screaming and fireworks exploded in the air. The screaming continued and the... _object _that had been sent in the air started to fall down – eh, there's no escaping the laws of nature! – And _it _landed just under Oogway's finger. Now that it was immobile, we could see what it was more clearly: a ball of black and white fur, which seemed to be a big panda. He was unconscious at first, but when he woke up and saw Oogway's finger pointing at him, he started to say that he was sorry, and he didn't mean to get in here. Master Oogway's only response was: "How interesting..."

As the panda was trying to get up, Tigress spoke up: "Master, are you pointing at... me?"

Oogway answered: "No, him!"

The panda was stunned: "Me?"

Then Oogway used his staff to raise the panda's paw in the air and claimed, "The Universe has brought us the Dragon Warrior!" At this moment my only thought was _What?! _And I think the Five and Shifu shared this thought; I didn't need to be a psychologist to see that they were clearly upset, and did not believe what Master Oogway had just said. Unfortunately, the servants interrupted this moment of disbelief and one of them did the signal, the one that made all the ceremony continue as if everything had been normal, even though it clearly had not been.

I rose from my seat and made myself the most discreet possible. I had to join them now that the public ceremony was over. What would happen now that this panda had been chosen?


End file.
